The new version of Xiaomi’s “operating system” is now official: HyperOS 2 has been unveiled in the company’s home country, and leaks place the Global version (the one that arrives on our phones) in a few weeks. Soon the time will come when I will update my XiaomiI don’t lack desire.
However, after virtually attending the opening speech from the Chinese firm, it is clear to me that I will not taste all their new products. Xiaomi needs to change its Android software a lot to reach Western landsand it is precisely for this reason that we will miss some of the new functions and features.
A global version that will suffer from the same old things
I’ve been using smartphones from Xiaomi and its siblings Redmi and POCO for years, so I went through many versions of the old MIUI until MIUI 14 finally gave way to HyperOS last year. And as has happened in the past, HyperOS in its Global version loses certain keys present in Chinese mobiles.
Maybe on previous occasions this wasn’t so noticeable: I remember the fun animal widgets that were left out. In the present, or in the near future assuming it arrives soon, the changes will be much more visible. Just keep an eye on the Xiaomi event.
HyperOS 2 took a good number of minutes, which is not surprising with the number of new functions and the renewal of others already known. Too bad we can’t try them, I’m really going to miss these changes on my smartphone:
- Xiaomi HyperConnect: the service that connects all Xiaomi devices and other brands does not arrive exactly the same. Here we have the “Interconnectivity” function in HyperOS 1.0, but it does not reach the level of what we see on Chinese territory. I also wouldn’t bet on interoperability with the iPhone (also with Mac and iPad).
- Xiaomi HyperAI: Artificial intelligence continues to dominate Xiaomi terminals. We recently saw her summarizing her notes, although what’s coming soon goes even further. At the event, we saw sketches transformed into very well-made artistic drawings, and even transcriptions of call recordings. It is also something similar to the evolution of Google’s call filter, which will recognize scams using AI. And an adaptation of “Surround to Search” could not be missing. What will happen globally? Not much, I expect.
- Xiaomi HyperCore: This is a low-level overhaul of the system and kernel. What does this bring to HyperOS? Improved performance through improved communication between hardware and software. This is perhaps the novelty that the Global firmware will inherit, since these are internal changes applicable to both versions.
- Personalization: In the past, with MIUI, we already lost some customization possibilities. Not knowing what will happen, I again bet on a significant option loss. And I love the widgets we saw during the presentation.
The differences between the two versions will be noticeable, I have experienced this in the past and expect something similar this time. Nevertheless, I said I would miss them on my Xiaomi, but to be honest maybe not too much. As soon as it is available, I will unlock my phone to install this HyperOS 2 from China, and later I will compare it with the Global version.
Anyway, I will try to test all these improvements, whether in perfect Chinese or in the language of Shakespeare. Of course, the rest of the users, who will naturally leave their cell phone as it leaves the factory, will not be able to take advantage of it. Damage : HyperOS 2 promises a lot in its most “pure” version. I hope I’m wrong and more happens than I suspect, the company’s ecosystem deserves it.
Cover image | Pepu Ricca for Xataka Android
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